Has anyone here had any production of bullheads in a tank or pond? From what I know they protect their fry and spawn in a depressions in the substrate.

Has anyone here had any production of bullheads in a tank or pond? From what I know they protect their fry and spawn in a depressions in the substrate.

I never raised bullhead in a tank or pond, but since every waterway (except for swift trout streams) ranging from tiny farm ponds, to major lakes and rivers in my area have them I assume all you need to pong raise them is a pond and two bullhead.

(I remember a local waste treatment plant tried using bullheads to help stir up the bottom to aerate it, it worked until the seasonal turnover made the water too toxic for them, but they could live in very filthy water until then).

an unrelated question. I once snorkeled in a local pond and followed a nice (about 8-10 inch long) bullhead around, it eventually swam to a hole in the mud and hid in it. It made me wonder if bullhead dig their own holes or use ones that are there before hand.

As a kid, I saw bullheads in Shandelee Lake (outside Livingston Manor, NY) guarding a school of young. It was really cool. I had the thought to spawn some that I collected once, about 10 years ago. During the summer, I kept them in a basement tank, and only fed them a little, every other day or so, so they wouldn't get too large. In late Spetember, I put them in a 45 gallon tub out back, with lots of rocks and broken flowerpots for them to hide in. I went out to get them in early December, before the first solid freeze. But when I removed all the hiding place, all the bullheads were gone. Not sure what happened to them. Raccoons, maybe.

Anyway, if you ever get bullheads to spawn inside, let us know. It must be a really cool thing to see.

Has anyone here had any production of bullheads in a tank or pond? From what I know they protect their fry and spawn in a depressions in the substrate.

Edited by Bob, 17 November 2009 - 04:18 PM.

I was free diving once by Hayden Sportsman's Dock (My favorite stomping grounds), and saw two huge brown bullheads with a huge herd of hyperactive coal-black fry. I reached for them and both catfish lunged at my finger and bit pretty hard. It was a little scrape, but they were devoted parents to attack such a large potential predator. I watched them trounce a bunch of fish by that dock, even a Northern pike, for trying to get too close to the babies. Now just to get the same results in a captive setting.

Edited by catfish_hunter, 17 November 2009 - 07:31 PM.

You either need a big tank, or access to stunted population of bullheads.

I was free diving once by Hayden Sportsman's Dock (My favorite stomping grounds), and saw two huge brown bullheads with a huge herd of hyperactive coal-black fry. I reached for them and both catfish lunged at my finger and bit pretty hard. It was a little scrape, but they were devoted parents to attack such a large potential predator. I watched them trounce a bunch of fish by that dock, even a Northern pike, for trying to get too close to the babies. Now just to get the same results in a captive setting.